Vehicular wheel



VEHICULAR WHEEL Filed NOV. 17, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. JOh h. Map/W70 June 14, 1960 J. H. MURPHY ETAL VEHICULAR WHEEL Filed Nov. 17, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 JOA/A/ M Mar/ x70 Y Haley/N0.

J 6 B M47719 fzoaz'zrau prraeuexs June 14, 1960 J. H. MURPHY ETAL 2,940,794

VEHICULAR WHEEL Filed Nov. 17, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 VIIIIIII/IIIIIIIII June 14, 1 0 J. H. MURPHY ETAL 2,940,794 I VEHICULAR may,

Filed Nov. 17, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 United States Patent VEHICULAR WHEEL John H. Murphy, 1124 Hibbard St., Detroit, Mich and Marvin A. Hole, 27709 Bentley St., Livonia, Mich.

Filed Nov. 17, 1959, Ser. No. 855,251

- 9 Claims. (Cl. 301-6) This invention relates generally to vehicular road wheels and more particularly to such wheels having brake drums which are subjected to high temperature use.

Wheels have ibeen'devised heretofore in which means were provided for inducing the flow of cooling gases between the brake drum and rim. The cooling which occurs in such wheels is of questionable value particularly where the drums .are subjected to the high heat conditions resulting from long continued application of the brakes or application of the brakes under extremely high pressures. Where the brake drums are highly heated they expand and the expansion often results in distortion of the drums with resultant decrease in the area of contact of the brakes with the drums and fadiugof the braking effect. The same results are caused by the application of extremely high pressures to the brakes and thence to the drums. This condition creates a vicious cycle in which 1 the decrease in area ofcontact results in greater and localized heating of the drum and more fading. and more distortion. Such high heating of the drums also often causes checking. of the inside surfaces of the drums due to the temperature differential between the inner and outer surfaces of the drums and the resulting high differential between the tensile forces and compression forces present in the outer and inner partslof the drum. 7

The present invention aims to avoid the foregoing, and other well known, disadvantages of the prior art .and achieves that invention by providing a Wheel in which the brake drum is free to expand and contract ym'thou-t substantial warpage at normal operating temperatures,= in which adjustment may be made to permit greater expansion of the drum to take place without distortion of the drum due to engagement of the drum with the in which the amount of heat transferred from the drum to the rim may be minimized, in which vibration of the drum may be dampened and noises produced by the brakes and drum may be minimized, and in which the wheel hub and brake drum may be assembled in the quickly and inexpensively.

V The present invention will be better understood by those skilled in the art from the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary front elevational View of a wheel having a tire rim thereon, a brake drum attached thereto with concentric ribs on the circumferential face thereof which constitute louvers for cooling the brake drum and wheel.

Figure 2 is a vertical section through the wheel assembly of Figure l, the second being taken on a plane indicated By the line 22 in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged front elevational view of the brake drum of Figure 1 illustrating the disposition of the ribs.

Figure r is a side elevational view partially in section, of the brake drum illustrated in Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a plan view of a modified form of the brake drum illustrating asubstitutive form of the louver-s1 Figure 6 is' aside elevational view thereof.

ice

Figure 7 is a front elevational view of another modified form of the brake drum.

Figure 8 is a side elevational view, partially in section, of the brake drum illustrated in Figure 7. I

Figure 9 is a front elevational view of still another modified form of the brake drum.

Figure 10 is a side elevational view thereof.

Figure 11 is a fragmentary end elevational view, similar to Figure 1, showing a modified form of this invention.

Figure 12 is a side elevational view Figure 11.

Figure 13' is a side elevational view of a modified'fofm of adjusters.

Figure 14 is a top 13; and

Figure 15 is a perspective view of an adjuster a layer ofheat insulation on the rim engaging the edge thereof.

Referring first to Fig. 1, the wheel comprises an axle of the device of plan view of the adjuster of Figure shaft 19, a drive'flange 11 therefor which is drilledrsr the support of a wheel flange 12, a brake 13, and a tire rim 14; The circumferential face of the brake drum is formed with apl-urality of spaced ribs 16 disposed in biased relation to the axisgof rotation of the drum, and arranged with the inner face 17 of each rib flush with the edge of the drum. The circumferential face of the ribs is slightly smaller than the internal diam,- eter of the tire'rim 14; thus the ribs, combination with the rim,--form a plurality of louvers L for the circulation of air over and about the periphery of the brake The tire 14 isconcentric with the outer diameter of the ribs 16, the dimensional difference between the inner face of. the rim and the face of the drum at the root of the ribs being. approximately oneand one quarter inch on each side of the assembly. The-ribs- 16 may be formed integral with the drum on a casing or, if desired, a pressed steelbrake drum may be used and separate'chzflfneled'ribs may be weldedon the face thereof. The crests of the ribs onthe brake-dmm are machined to prov-idea. diametn'cal clearance of approximately forty-thousandtlis of an inch between the outer diameter of the'ribs andnie inner diameter of the rim, in order to accommodate-expansion of the drum. The wheelis formed with'spaced openings 19 therein aligned with the passageways'defined by the ribs to facilitatethe circulation of air through drum and wheel assembly.

It will be understood that the foregoing dimension's of one and one quarter inch and .040 of an inch are by way of illustration only and that other suitable dimensions may be employed as desired; a

As illustrated in Figs; 1,- 2, 3 and 4, the brakei druin comprises a iianged disc with parallel ribs 16 dispose'd oh the circumferential faceofthe flange in parallel relation with the center of rotation of the brake drum. The ribs are formed with transverse openings 21 therein to increase the agitation of the air that flows. through the louvers L,

and over the face of the brake drum.

In the modified form illustrated in Figs; 5 and 6, the ribs 25 are disposed in spaced relation with each other on the circumferential faced the brake drum and in diagonal relation to the axis of rotation of the drum. The ribs are further formed with the inner ends- 26 thereof machined concentrically and with the-outeren'ds 27 tapered from the center of the width of the drum downwardly to the root .of th e ribs andterminating=ad jacent' the larger end 28 of the beveled innerend29- of the drum. a

As shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the ribs 30 are of'simil'ar configurationto the ribs described in-Figs. 5 and, 6;; save only that the ribs 30' are not radial as indicatedtby the center lines shown in Fig. 7; V

rotation r In the fer-m illustrated in Fig; 10, the inner endpor' tions 40 of the ribs 41 are of arcuate configuration relative to the axis of rotation of the drum, but the height of the forward portion of the ribs is equal. T he'rearward-links nstills-illegal are however; substantially parallel with each otherand parallel with the axis of of the hub. The rearward portions 42, are, moreovelgtapered outwardly and terminate in the outer 7 Edge 43 of the b eveled wallj44 of the drum.

velocity of the flow thereof as itpasses' over-the'brake gdrum and through the wheel.

The drum louvers are prlmarily adapted for 'use in V yv heels for trailers, though they are not necessarily limited to suchusel iWhen a trailer reaches its terminal port,- thefbrake drumsthereof'iare customarily extremely hot when the tractor is uncoupled from the trailer," the ilpralres are'automatically applied. In the .absence'ofthe a louvers and the: clearance between the. crest of the 1 'ribsas'referred to .above, the brake shoes will distortthe that the inner ends of the screws bear against the outer ends of'ribs 16, each bar 55 may be locked mitsadjusted position. a

In Figure 15 means 'is shown for. impeding the flow of "heat from adjusters 50 or 55 to the opposed surface of the rim. In this figure the adjuster 50 is provided with a layer of heat insulating or poor heat conducting material '60. This material whichjmay take the. form of Bakelite, asbestos brake lining plastic material or any other suitable material is attached to the outer edge of the bar 50 as by bonding 'or in any other suitable or conventional manner. r

It will be understood that in all the modifications of the present invention disclosed herein provision is made for ready assembly of the hub and brake drum in the rim and that initially asmall clearance exists between the outer edges ofithe ribs on the exterior ofthe drum and the inner surfacerof the rim. Preferably, this clearmice is sufiicient to permit'thedrum to expand in rehot brakedrums and eventually effect the eccentricity brim/will also be cooled by the air circulated through the louveisdurihgthe operation of the vehicle;

. T Modified forms of the present mventlon are shown in figures 11 to 15' inclusive; These modificationsjinvolve .fthe -use of adjusters-onzcertain of the ribs- 16 to, facilitate {assembly of the hub and drum withza rim andi meansf to minimize the amount of heat transferred by the 'ribs' fX OI Il thedrum to the rim. q r j InlFigurm l=1'and'12 several of the spaced ribs 16 are i equipped with adjusters'in the form of elongated bars 50.

' lllese abars aresecuredto the ribs by 'means of cap screws 51 which extend throughinclined slots 52 inJ-the fbai'sgand are threaded into ribs 16.' It will be under- "stood that when the-huband drum assembly is to b'e'assembled in a rim -,these;adjusters'are preferably so positionedgthattheir outerJedges 53 are locatedonlyslightly beyond the edges of theribs towhich they are attached, and that after the' hub and drum havebeen assembled 'in the rim the adjusters are moved endwise inwardly and, hy reason of engagement of the bolts 51 in a smaller outside diameter than in the modification shown in Figures 1 ;to lO and henceassentbly-of the'hubdnum the rim isfacilitated lay reason of this greater clearance; After assembly, the adjusters'50 may be adjusted radlallyoutwardly to provide clearances of almost any desired dimension and thus clearances maybe so obtained which would be so small as: to'interfere with the ready assembly of the hub and lim if the ribs were not provided [with adjusters.

Yjlhereof and develop cracks or disintegration of the drum; 7 f The improved wheel construction disclosed herein will notonly avoid the deleterious efiect o f heat on' the brake drum, butflwill also' safeguardthe tire and prevent vulnization-of thel bead of the tire to therim, since the a without marked restraint or distortion of thedrum tak- 7 ing place and whenfgreaterexpansion of thedrum occurs low, operating temperatures attained by the drum in ordinarydriving. Such expansion of. the drum will bring the edges of the ribs into contact with the inner surface of the rim withoutresulting in any distortion of the drum. When the becomes heated above such normal'low, operating temperatures, as may result from long application iof the brakes or the brakes are applied under heavy pressure, the resulting expansion of the drum willbeluniformly opposed by 1116: rimwithout distortion'of theldrum. 7

Thus, limited expansion of the drum may occur spouse to the normal,

will be uniformly restrained bythe and hence not distorted to 'an' 'objectional extent. As stated above, the

Ibars 50 and 55 make it possible not only to assemble the drum rim expeditiously, but also to; vary the spacing between the ribs onthe drum and the ll depending on the o fservice'to'which the wheels will be subjected. 1 For example, it the wheels are to be used onmountain roads," where theibrakes will be ap plied for long periods of time or under high pressure or both, the initial clearance may'be'greater than would.

be desirable where the, truckjwas to travel on fairly level roadsf; Furthermore, the adjusters fmake it possible to employ heat insulating material Whenit is desired and by the simplejand relatively inexpensive. expedienfof "putting the insulating material on the adjusters;

Since the brake free to expand and contract in a wide temperature range and is backed up by engag'ement .of its ribs with therim,'it need not be made as thick as'has been customaryt j lThe difierencebetwee'n thertempera ture of the'outer A modified form vof adjuster is shown in Figures 13 V and 14 where each adjuster is in the form of a bar position. Eachbar 55 has inclined openingsSSithrough which'the cap screws '51 extend and by means of which the-bars are positioned relative to the ribs116. 7

i BYadjuSting'capscreWs 5 7. in ends 56 of bars 55 so and inner surfaces will be smaller with the thinner drum and the differential between the tensile stresses and the compression stresses on the outer and inner portions of the band will be smaller with the thinner drum. This invention which makes it possible tofluse thinner brake drums also tends to preserve the smoothness of the inner surface of the drum and less wear on the brakelining resultsg f V The adjusters not only facilitate the assembly of the hub and brake drum unit in a rim because of the greater clearance which they permit between the outer edges of the 'ribs and the inner surface of the rim which clear V ance is taken up by adjustmentof the. adjusters after assembly, but also act asdampenerswh'en they are in contact with the rim and thereby eliminate drum vibration. and squeal incident thereto. -Since noise is a serious problem in public conveyances the noise-reducing result of the adjusters is of considerable practical importance. This application is a continuation-in-part of application Serial No. 825,490, filed July 7, 1959, now aban cloned. V V v v Having thus described vthis invention'in such full, clear, conciseand-exactterms as to'enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, and having set forth the best mode contemplated of carrying out this invention, we state that the subject matter which we regard as being our invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in what is claimed, it being understood that equivalents or modiiications of, or substitutions for, parts of the above specifically described embodiment of the invention may be made Without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in what is claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicular wheel comprising a tire rim and a brake drum concentrically mounted therein, the drum having a plurality of circumferentially spaced ribs extending outwardly toward the rim with their outer edges lying on a circle Whose diameter is such that under normal, low, operating temperatures of the drum the ribs will be out of contact with the rim and under normal, high, operating temperatures of the drum the ribs will be in engagement with the rim.

2. The combination of elements set forth in claim 1 in which the ribs are disposed substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the drum.

3. The combination of elements set forth in claim 1 in which the ribs are disposed at an angle to the axis of rotation of the drum and form a plurality of channels cclonstituting louvers for the circulation of air over the rum.

4 The combination of elements set forth in claim 1 in which the ribs have openings extending therethrough at approximately right angles to the axis of rotation of the drum to facilitate circulation of air over the drum.

5 The combination of elements set forth in claim 1 in which the inner end portions of the ribs are of arouate configuration relative to the axis of rotation of the drum and in which the outer or rearward portions of the ribs are substantially parallel to the axis of the drum.

6. A vehicular wheel comprising a tire rim, a brake drum mounted concentrically within the rim and having a plurality of circumferentially spaced ribs extending outwardly toward the rim, adjusters attached to certain of said ribs and means for positioning the adjusters so that there will be a small clearance between their outer surfaces and the rim under normal, low, operating temperatures of the drum and no clearance under higher temperatures of the drum.

7. The combination of elements set forth in claim 6 in which the adjusters are provided with inclined elongated openings and cap screws extend through said openings and are threaded into the adjacent rib.

8. The combination of elements set forth in claim 6 in which the adjusters have body portions to lie along the ribs and end portions to extend across the ends of the ribs, and cap screws threaded in said ends of the bars and bearing against the ends of the ribs to adjust the bars relative to the ribs.

9. The combination of elements set forth in claim 6 in which the outer edges of the adjusters are provided with heat insulating material.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,906,520 Bode May 2, 1933 1,912,789 Norton June 6, 1933 2,740,502 Butterfield Apr. 3, 1956 

